H20fwler
5 year old buck +
This past September we were early goose hunting about thirty miles south of home and while driving down this back road leaving the spot I noticed a nice roll of used farm fence sitting on the corner of a woods close to the road. I had friends with me and the truck was loaded full of decoys so I didn't stop to ask around about who's property it was on, I did make a mental note on how nice it would be to buy that roll of fence to make cages for my road screen pines that the deer are rubbing and eating back every fall. I've tried to find used fence on Craig's list and some farm sales but it is getting really hard to find around here after the metal prices jumped up for a couple months about then years ago, the only stuff I've found has been rusty crap at $50 a roll.
A couple weeks ago I was back in that area after a morning pheasant hunt and decided to swing by and see if I could find out who owned the woods, my second stop I found the owner...a very interesting old school farmer with a long white beard that had to be in his mid 80's or older, but very spry and sharp. I had a price in mind so asked him if I could buy the roll, he said sure how about $15...I said how about $20 and paid him! We talked for a while and he told me he had more rolls in an old spreader in the woods so I bought two rolls...and an old horse drawn hay rake that I will go back for next month after it freezes good.
The old guy was interesting as hell and very chatty..we talked a little about religion, politics, farming, hunting and finally habitat work....the habitat stuff seemed to really interest him. After talking about fruit trees he said he had a good crabapple on the other side of his house in his sheep pasture that produced every year held fruit late and he was going to be tearing it out in spring. I had to see it, so we walked around the house and this thing was LOADED with apples a little bigger than cherries, he said deer come up to the house in winter eating off it along with all kinds of birds. I tasted a couple and they were a little sweet even after having froze and thawed a couple times.
So before I left he gave me permission for when I come back with a trailer for the hay rake I can get as many scion cuttings as I want off it. Not only did I make a new friend I got a deal on two rolls of fence an old hay rake and I'll be able to graft a bunch of new crabapple to me for my shrub strips!
A couple weeks ago I was back in that area after a morning pheasant hunt and decided to swing by and see if I could find out who owned the woods, my second stop I found the owner...a very interesting old school farmer with a long white beard that had to be in his mid 80's or older, but very spry and sharp. I had a price in mind so asked him if I could buy the roll, he said sure how about $15...I said how about $20 and paid him! We talked for a while and he told me he had more rolls in an old spreader in the woods so I bought two rolls...and an old horse drawn hay rake that I will go back for next month after it freezes good.
The old guy was interesting as hell and very chatty..we talked a little about religion, politics, farming, hunting and finally habitat work....the habitat stuff seemed to really interest him. After talking about fruit trees he said he had a good crabapple on the other side of his house in his sheep pasture that produced every year held fruit late and he was going to be tearing it out in spring. I had to see it, so we walked around the house and this thing was LOADED with apples a little bigger than cherries, he said deer come up to the house in winter eating off it along with all kinds of birds. I tasted a couple and they were a little sweet even after having froze and thawed a couple times.
So before I left he gave me permission for when I come back with a trailer for the hay rake I can get as many scion cuttings as I want off it. Not only did I make a new friend I got a deal on two rolls of fence an old hay rake and I'll be able to graft a bunch of new crabapple to me for my shrub strips!
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